Never
by WRE
Summary: I'm back, after too long a time, with a nice and very average 1x2. SHONEN-AI, that's right GAYS, don't like don't read - and don't flame! If you're like me (will happily read any 1x2 regardless of its quality) you'll like this I'm sure. Anyway, please


Never; Duo

Hey people! I have finally recovered from what looked like a terminal case of being-unable-to-finish-a-fic!! So now, you have to read more rubbish by meee!! Well, you don't have to but if you're reading this I'm guessing you're going to. So, I hope you enjoy!! This is for everyone I know who's a 1x2/2x1 fan, and everyone I don't know who's a 1x2/2x1 fan!!

Feedback, of course, will be truly appreciated. 

And just word for all you would-be flamers; 

Firstly: I completely accept your flames if they concern the quality or style of my writing or the plot of this fic; however, if you're planning on flaming because you are homophobic or otherwise narrow-minded, DON'T. GO AWAY NOW. You are not funny, you are not intelligent, and you are not, really, worth the time it is taking me to write this.

Secondly: Please, please get your grammar and spelling CORRECT. You may be stupid, but I'm sure that if you think hard enough about it you'll be able to work out where the capitals and full-stop go.

Thankyou.

CharlieXX 

****

(Someone: GET ON WITH IT!!)

OK, okay, alright… ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!!

Never; Duo

Perhaps I should have told him.

But I never did.

I never told him I dreamed about him every night.

I never told him he was all I thought about.

He never considered me a friend, and he never knew I considered him so much more. 

He never knew how I touched myself and imagined it was him touching me like that, how I prayed that one day it might be. 

He never said anything if he heard me cry out for him in my sleep.

I never even said goodbye.

He was my world. I just pissed him off, but he was my world. I didn't know why but he became my everything the moment we met, and he never had a clue. Because I didn't tell him I wanted him. I didn't tell him I needed him. I never told him I loved him.

I still love him.

I never stopped.

**

Never; Heero

I saw the looks you gave me. I noticed the way you would gaze at me sometimes if you thought I wasn't looking. I knew you wanted me. 

I never told you I knew. And I never told you I knew what it was like.

You would lean in close, and use any excuse to touch me. I didn't mind. I liked being touched. I liked you touching me. 

I wanted you too.

Oh god I wanted you too. 

How could I not? You were beautiful, the most beautiful person I had ever seen. Your eyes, your hair, your skin, your body, everything about you… You were perfect, you ARE perfect and I wanted you so badly.

I never did anything about it.

I knew I could have you. I knew what you wanted, I knew I wanted the same. You wanted me to fuck you senseless and I would have, I could have, I wanted to.

But I never did. And I never knew why.

You never knew that your smile made my day. I never realised that I loved to listen to your voice, it was beautiful just like the rest of you. You never knew that when you laughed, I almost smiled. I never knew that I needed you. Neither of us knew I loved you.

But that's why I never did anything about it, I know it now. I didn't want to fuck you, I wanted to make love to you. There's a huge difference. 

What you were feeling was desire, never anything more. How could it have been? I wanted you to love me, I wanted you to love me like I loved you, to want ME, not just my body. But you didn't love me. As much as I hoped, and as much as I sometimes let myself believe you might, you didn't love me. Why would you?

I didn't know I could never be happy without you.

When we parted, you took my heart with you.

I never saw you again.

**

Never; say Never Again

My heart leapt as I saw him, walking slightly ahead of me. Light brown hair tied in a long braid, black clothes, he always wore black clothes, it had to be him, it WAS him!

"Duo! DUO!!" I practically screamed. "Duo, Duo wait!"

He didn't turn, he didn't even stop walking. If he had heard me, he didn't show it.

"DUO!" I sprinted after him without even thinking. "Please, hang on…" I soon caught up with him and grabbed him by the arm.

"Duo…"

"What the hell…"

It wasn't him.

The girl turned around and glared at me with green eyes.

"Oh…" 

"I'm so sorry…" I muttered.

"'right," she said shortly and stalked off. I watched her go, seeing now that her hair wasn't even the right shade to be Duo's, Duo's was a little bit darker than that. Much longer, too. And Duo was smaller than her. And even his walk, he walked more confidently than that.

Of course it wasn't him.

I hung my head. The rain began to fall. I hadn't even noticed that the sky was grey.

Of course it wasn't him.

It was never him.

**

I wasn't even sure what I was doing here, in the pouring rain on L1. Well, that's a lie, I was looking for Heero and I knew it perfectly well - what I didn't really know was why. No, I suppose that's not true either - it was because I loved him and I was dying without him. At least, it felt like I was dying… Anyway, what I REALLY didn't know was why I was bothering - Heero didn't even like me, there was no chance, LESS than no chance of him ever feeling the same about me as I did about him… He wouldn't even be happy to see me!

Still, I was here, soaking wet, intent upon finding him and telling him I loved him, and having absolutely no luck whatsoever. Although I knew the vague area in which he lived, and had spent at least two days wandering aimlessly around it, I was currently about as close to actually finding him as I was to getting a first degree in further maths. Which, incidentally, was pretty far. Damned…

At any rate, I had decided that enough was enough. I was just going to have to show people a photo of Heero and ask them if they'd seen him. It would get me nowhere, I was sure, but hey, I was desperate. 

I only had two photos of him, and I treasured them. I was just about to pull one out of my wallet when it struck me - Quatre!! Quatre would know where Heero's house was, he made a point of keeping in touch with everybody!

Well, I doubted that Heero would keep in touch with anyone, or that anyone would even _want_ to keep in touch with _him_, but it had to be worth a shot… 

** 

I didn't even shut the door as I walked miserably into my small flat. I threw myself down on the sofa and lay there for a while, staring up at the ceiling. 

The rain had stopped early that evening, and it was a beautiful clear and starry night, but I couldn't really get too enthusiastic about that right now. I couldn't really get too enthusiastic about anything right now, not if it wouldn't bring him back to me. Back. 

As if Duo was ever mine.

I wondered if he was looking at the stars now. He loved stars. Maybe he was looking up at them, at them, the same stars that were outside my window. 

Maybe he was.

So I went to my window and gazed into space for a bit, not really seeing the stars, not really appreciating them like he would have. I wondered if he was thinking of me. Well, that was just stupid, why would he be? 

I wondered if he thought of me at all.

He probably does, sometimes, I thought. He no doubt still remembers Heero, that kid he fought alongside in the war, the bad-tempered one, the suicidal one who managed to be incredibly rude without actually saying anything. The pretty on he wanted so much…

I sighed and wandered back over to the sofa where I lay down again. Life was grey. Not a kind, soft grey, just harsh, cold grey, endless and empty and meaningless and…not even alive at all… I must have drifted off to sleep eventually, wondering if I'd ever forget Duo, knowing that I never could and that it would never stop aching. I wondered if I'd ever see him again, and oh how I hoped I would, how I wished he was here now, to hold me while I slept, to take away the grey and make my world colourful again.

**

"Quatre? Yo! Q-man, what's up!!! Man, you've been on the move today, I've been trying to get hold of you all day, and all night, well, a few hours, ages anyway but it was all like "please hold we will put you through to Master Quatre presently" and "please hold we will put you through to Master Quatre presently" and I'm all like "what the hell" and…"

"Duo! I know it's you because I didn't catch a word of that!!"

I laughed down the phone.

"Oh, well, sorry man!" I said, making the considerable effort it took to talk at what was a normal rate for anyone else, slow for me. "So, you know, what's up, how're you, how's Trowa?"

"He's fine, he's great, we're all great!! Uh, it is pretty late you know, actually it's nearly three am - any reason that you called?"

"I need a reason? Aren't you just dying of happiness from hearing my voice?" I asked, feigning hurt.

"Oh, I'm sorry Duo, I didn't mean…"

"Quatre, man you are way too sensitive, I was kidding!! Well, as it happens, there is a reason…" I trailed off, slightly embarrassed. I had told nobody of my secret love, not even Quatre, who had probably been - and still was, from a distance - my best friend.

"Ano…well, I wondered if you knew, um, do you know where, um, I mean I know that you keep in touch with everyone and I wondered if you could tell me where, uh, if, I mean, what…" Great feat of slyness, Maxwell, I congratulated myself. "You see, I want to go and…ano, I don't know his address, but, er, find, uh, um, aheh Heero…heh…"

Quatre coughed in a very suspicious way.

"Uh, Q-man?"

"Yes?"

"It's not funny. Why are you laughing? No laughing."

"Sorry."

"And NO APOLOGISING!!"

"Sor…oh…so…why do you want to see Heero? I mean, I knew you were in love with him but I thought you'd probably…"

"WHAT! You KNEW!!!! You DID know! I KNEW you knew! But I didn't think you KNEW!! YOU KNEW!!!" I screamed down the phone, scaring the few people that were still out and about at this hour.

"Oh, oh I'm sorry Duo, I didn't, uh…"

Scaring Quatre too, by the sound of it.

I sighed resignedly.

"No, no it's fine Q-man - and what did I tell you about apologising… BUT I THOUGHT I WAS SO SLY!!!" I burst out.

"Oh, well, maybe you were, I just…"

"Don't even bother Quatre," I muttered, suddenly beginning to lose patience and well aware that I would probably take it out on Quatre before the phone call ended. "Can you tell me where he lives or not?"

"Duo? You sound really…are you alright?"

"Yes! I'm FINE," I replied shortly."

"Oh. Um, are you..sure?" he asked nervously.

"YES! Quatre do you know where he is, I really, REALLY need to know…" I growled, gritting my teeth together. I didn't want to lose my temper, but…

"Yes but Duo, what about you, are you honestly…"

"YES! FUCK! I'm just bloody GREAT now if you're not going to HELP ME then I'll go, SORRY FOR WASTING YOUR PRECIOUS…oh god."

I took a deep breath.

"Quatre I'm sorry, I didn't mean…oh fuck…"

I closed my eyes and tugged at my fringe, biting my lip so hard it hurt.

"Quatre, forgive me, I really am sorry, I'm so temperamental all of a sudden, I just…I won't make excuses…"

"You really miss him don't you?" he asked gently.

"You have no idea," I whispered, squeezing my eyes tighter shut. I could barely contemplate how much I missed him, and I felt like crying just thinking about it.

Quatre was silent. I could practically feel his sincere sympathy, radiating from whatever colony he and his big heart were on at the moment, and it did nothing to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. 

I hadn't even been thinking about how much I missed Heero, how much I loved him, how much I needed him…I'd just been thinking about finding him…but now…

I really couldn't live without him, I realised.

A pause, then; "How long have you been looking for him?"

"I don't remember," I said honestly.

"Duo are you…going to tell him?"

"Yeah I…don't know why…need to…"

"I understand," he said seriously. "Don't cry Duo, please…"

"How do you DO that?" I said, making a lame half-hearted attempt at joking around. If I hadn't been so suddenly depressed I would have truly wondered how Quatre could always know that kind of thing.

"Look, Duo it's alright to be sad. Hang on, I've got his address, I'll get it for you…"

"Thankyou Quatre."

I heard the quick tapping of keys, a soft curse that at any other time I would have wondered at coming from the sweet little Arabian's mouth, more typing, then he told me the address.

I gasped. I knew where that was! I had passed the high-rise block of flats and many like it so many times in the last few days! It was a fairly run down place, though, from what I could ascertain, and I had assumed that Heero's home would be pretty decent at least… I cursed myself not so silently - why, why oh WHY was I such an idiot?

Then I realised it was only two minutes from where I was right now.

I was two minutes away from Heero.

Heero was two minutes away from me.

I ran, not noticing the phone smash against the wet ground when I dropped it.

**

The loud knock on the front door pounded dully through my flat, waking me instantly. Figuring that, as I didn't want to see anyone, whoever it was I wouldn't want to see them, I didn't respond. Really, I just didn't care any more. Whoever was there knocked again, and then I heard soft footsteps as they entered and remembered I had left the door open.

I considered being bothered to get up and threatening the intruder with death. Then I considered glaring and telling them to fuck off. As it was, I did neither.

I did, however, sit up in absolute shock and gasp loudly as I heard a voice, a familiar voice, the voice of the one who haunted my dreams and filled my head constantly, softly calling my name.

"Heero?"

Could it be…? Was it him, was he really here? Was my lonely mind mocking me yet again or was it…

"Duo…" I breathed.

Everything stopped. For a moment, time itself seemed to stop and I just sat, unaware that I was shivering slightly, questioning and wondering and hoping and praying to all the gods I didn't believe in.

Then, it all started again. All the feelings came back, the want, the need, I wanted to touch him, I needed to see him, now. In a desperate attempt to get to him as fast as I could, I leapt to my feet, pitched immediately forward and crashed about as ungracefully as was possible to the floor.

"Heero? Are you there? Heero?! Is it…"

Duo came rushing round the corner but grabbed the doorframe and skidded to a halt, his beautiful eyes widening and his braid swinging forward as the rest of him froze in the doorway and stared, open-mouthed at me.

Duo… Duo, oh my god Duo… I tried to say his name, say something, say ANYthing. Unfortunately, not a sound came out of my mouth; it seemed I had forgotten how to speak. Duo had always joked that I would one day…

He didn't speak a word either. He just continued to stand there, he just continued to stare at me, sprawled on the floor as I was. He would normally have been laughing his head off at me, and I would have glared at him. But he wasn't, and I didn't.

Slowly and clumsily, I got to my feet, never taking my eyes from him for a second. I couldn't; I was so scared that I was imagining him and if I looked away, if I even blinked, he'd be gone.

But there he was, still standing, still staring. I stood and stared back, my thoughts running so fast that it seemed I had stopped thinking, just taking him in. It had been so long, but he'd not changed much. A little taller perhaps, his hair a little longer, but still beautiful, still beautiful.

"Wha…why…hello…" I eventually managed to choke out.

He blinked his big eyes at me and smiled. I wanted to run to him and throw my arms around him and hold him. Predictably I suppose, I didn't.

He lifted one hand to the side of his head, the other on his hip, and blinked bemusedly.

"Uh, hey…Heero…" he said in a dazed kind of manner. "How are ya? It's been too…a long time, ne?"

Too long, too long I thought and nodded.

He nodded too and looked vaguely around my flat.

"Nice place," he muttered absently.

What a liar. My house had to be the crappiest on the colony, but hey, now he was in it I wouldn't be anywhere else for anything.

"Um, sit, uh, sit down," I almost-whispered, waving an arm in the general direction of my one and only chair. I had to make Duo stay, I couldn't let him leave, not yet, not ever…not yet… "Have a drink, do you want to drink something?" I offered, speaking far too fast. I could hear my voice shaking although he didn't appear to notice.

"Ano, er, yeah, oh anything," he said, smiling. His smile still made my day, I noted with what would have been satisfaction had it not been so overshadowed by the intoxicating mix of hope and despair of his being so near and yet so far.

I kept my eyes fixed firmly on the floor as I walked past him to the kitchen.

*

I came back a moment later with two cups of…something…to find Duo sitting on the sofa, twisting his hands in his lap and biting his lip nervously.

"Duo?" I had managed to calm myself down somewhat while making the drinks, and hopefully my powers of speech were back to normal… "Are…are you alright?" I was determined to be nice to him now. It seemed I was getting a second chance, of friendship at least, and I wasn't going to waste it like I had the last one.

He nodded and smiled at me as he took the proffered drink. He was being very quiet, but I barely noticed; I didn't care, as long as he was here.

I sat down at the other end of the sofa and tried my hardest not to look at him. Astonishingly enough, it didn't work. He was looking at me too, sipping his drink slowly and watching me over the rim of his cup. It was awkward…it had been so long…

"Uhh, so why are you…" I started uncomfortably.

"I have to tell you something," he said suddenly, biting his lip again and putting his cup on the floor. My throat suddenly felt very dry. I had a dream like this, where he would come round and say he had to tell me something… I always woke up before he told me what it was…

"You came here just to see me?" I said hoarsely.

"Well, yeah." He flushed. "I'm sorry to just come round with no…"

"It's fine, it's fine," I said hurriedly, although if I was the speaking my mind kind of person Duo tended to be, I would have said it was the best thing that had ever happened to me, well actually the second, because the first was meeting him. "Um…what is it?"

He coughed and flushed more and looked positively terrified.

"Ano…there's…it's something I, um, I never told you before, when we were in the war…" I just sat silently, listening intently and too scared to hope… 

"…and, um, I think I should have so I'm going to…but I…"

He had come here to tell me something…

"Uh, you see Heero…" 

Something he'd never told me…

"The thing is, well, it's pretty important, but the thing is…um…"

He would never have come all this was just to tell me he wanted me.

"Well, you see, um, I know you, er, well, what it is…"

My head was spinning. He had been staring at his knees, but now he looked me straight in the eye. My heart was beating faster and it had suddenly become very difficult to breathe…

"OK, um, I know you don't feel the same as I do…"

Was it possible? Could he possibly mean what I thought, or was it hoped… Could he… 

"…but I need you to know that I…"

"I love you!" I blurted out.

**

I could not believe this was happening. To say that I was shocked would have been the understatement of…ever! I took a moment to let it register. Then I took a moment to stare open-mouthed at Heero. He…loved me… He really loved me? 

Heero Yuy was in love with me. 

I put my hands on the sides of my face and closed my eyes, trying to get my head around this, trying to wake up now if this was a dream, before I had anything more to lose… I opened my eyes. I was still here, he was still there, twisting his hands nervously in his lap as I knew I had been doing a moment before.

"He loves me? Heero loves me, he is in love with me…" I didn't realise I was muttering under my breath.

Then I laughed hysterically. Heero loved me.

I stood up. I sat down. He loved me.

I felt tears coursing down my cheeks. He…loved me?

I grinned, feeling as if I could probably fly now, if I tried hard enough. He loved me.

Then I smiled, not a grin, just a gentle small smile. 

"You love me," I said quietly and he nodded once, not raising his eyes when he did his head. I stopped smiling; I suddenly realised he must have taken my weird series of reactions to be one of rejection. He looked so miserable, his gorgeous dark eyes half-closed and misty.

"Oh, Heero!"

I'm not sure what happened next, but it involved me throwing myself at him, and ended up with both of us on the floor, me on top of him.

"Do…do you love me too?" he asked shyly. Had I not already been in love with him, I would have fallen in love with him then.

"Yes, my god I love you, and adore you, and worship you, and love you too, oh, yes, yes yes yes!!"

Heero just stared up at me. He didn't believe it, I could tell.

"I love you," I said again, looking right into his eyes.

"I love you, I love you so much," he breathed and I realised how close we were when I felt his warm breath on my lips.

One of his hands was softly stroking my hair.

"We'll never be apart again, say you'll never leave me…" he muttered. "Please, Duo I need you, I love you…"

"I'll never leave you, I never want to not be with you…" 

I reached for his other hand, entwining our fingers as he pulled my head down slowly and our lips touched. Then he kissed me, really kissed me. The only kiss that had ever meant anything to me, hot and passionate and yet the sweetest and most tender kiss I'd ever had.

***

Epilogue; not that many hours later

They lay in a tangle of sheets on Heero's bed, both slightly sweaty, sticky, sated and completely content. Heero was dozing quietly in Duo's arms, and Duo was more than happy to hold him and watch him sleep. He was so beautiful. The temptation to press tiny kisses to his face was just too great, and this Duo did every few moments.

Heero smiled innocently in his sleep and tugged gently at Duo's hand. Duo moved his arm from where it was curled protectively around Heero's shoulders, and stroked the other boy's messy hair back from his face. He leaned down and, as lightly as he could, touched his lips to Heero's.

"I love you," he said silently against Heero's soft mouth. Then he moved reluctantly away, pulling his hand from Heero's while trying his best not to wake him. He made his way to the bathroom as quietly as he could, quickly showered and dressed. He searched out some paper and a pencil and scribbled a short note which he pressed gently into his lover's hand. He smiled. Heero loved him as he loved Heero, Heero was his as he was Heero's. He hadn't been this happy since…he had never been this happy. He watched the beautiful boy a moment, and felt such strong emotion he thought he might cry, or laugh, or both.

He smiled again and left the flat silently.

**

Heero woke up. His eyes flew open but apart from that he stayed perfectly still. He was alone. He whimpered, where was Duo, where was his Duo?

Had last night just been a dream? Oh please, he begged, it had to be real… It had felt so real… It WAS real, he knew it was real. It had happened, Duo had come to him, Duo loved him, they had made love…but now he was gone. Could Duo have left forever, had he got what he wanted and gone?

Then Heero remembered, everything Duo had said, the whispered words of love, the promises… And Duo, his Duo, never lied. Heero relaxed, and smiled, and closed his eyes again. Duo would come back soon, he knew it.

As he shifted on the bed, his felt his hand tighten on something, and heard the quiet crunch of folding paper. Duo had left him a note. He sat up slowly and squinted down at it.

****

Sorry to leave without telling you, don't worry and don't go anywhere!! I won't be out for very long. See you soon

I love you

DuoXX

"I love you," he read out quietly, almost reverently. "I love you. And I love you Duo."

He smiled, happier and more contented than he'd ever been in his life. Duo loved him. He smoothed out the letter and put it on the cabinet beside his bed. Duo loved him! He could still hardly believe it, he didn't deserve Duo, he sure as hell didn't deserve his love…

His face fell suddenly. Duo deserved better than him…he may have thought he loved him, but he deserved better…

"You're not good enough for him Heero," he whispered accusingly to himself. "You're cold and mean and disgusting and you could never make him happy, not really. You're not good enough for Duo. You'll never be good enough."

He buried his face in his hands and sobbed quietly.

*

An hour later saw him fully clothed, standing and staring vacantly out of the window, wondering when Duo would be back and wondering what he would do, what he would say when he was. 

**

There was a knock on the door.

"Heero?" came Duo's muffled voice. "Heero it's me, I forgot I couldn't get back in! Hey, open the door!"

Heero walked slowly to the door and pulled it open. 

"Hi!" Duo said, throwing and arm around his neck and kissing him quickly. "Now, uh, um please don't say anything yet, because I have some stuff to say…" He turned around and shut the door. "…and it's really important that I say it right, so, um…oh here!" He pushed a bunch of red roses at Heero. 

Heero held them in both hands and stared down at them.

"They're for you." 

They were so pretty…

"…thankyou."

Duo guided a stunned Heero over to the other side of the room and then paced around a bit as the other boy just watched.

"OK, so, um, yeah…"

Duo pressed his hands together and looked thoughtful for a moment. Heero gazed bemusedly at him, unsure of what exactly was happening here.

Duo took a deep breath and began.

"I meant what I said, Heero, last night, I never want to not be with you, not ever, uh, if you want that is, and that's why I think that, you don't have to so, uh, but I want to know if you would well, you see I never want to be without you and if you want to um, be with me too then maybe…oh screw it, will you marry me?"

Heero hadn't been more shocked in his whole life. Except when Duo had turned up yesterday, and when he had said he loved him… Anyway, he was too shocked to move, or speak, or do anything for a few moments.

Marry Duo? He couldn't think of anything he would like more than to spend his entire life with him…

"Heero? If you don't want to, please say so, it's alright…" Duo said sadly.

"No," he said quickly. Duo couldn't think he didn't want him. "It's not that but…"

"Heero what is it? What's wrong?"

"You…you d-deserve mo-more, you n-need someone better than me," Heero faltered miserably, and hung his head. 

Duo was completely silent. Heero looked up tentatively to see Duo staring at him in horror, a single tear coursing down his beautiful face. He cursed himself and hung his head again, now he'd made Duo cry. He let the beautiful roses fall to the carpet. He didn't deserve a present from Duo…

"How can you say that?" Duo whispered slowly. "HOW CAN YOU EVEN THINK THAT!" he screamed unexpectedly. Heero didn't even flinch. 

Then suddenly Duo was standing in front of him, one hand on his shoulder, the other under his chin, gently tilting his head upwards. Heero wouldn't meet his violet eyes.

"Heero, I love YOU, I need YOU!" Duo said seriously. "Heero, look at me…"

Heero instantly raised his eyes, which were shining with unshed tears.

"Heero, there's nothing more I want, there's no-one better than you, don't you see? There IS no-one better than you, not for me. I love you. Will you marry me Heero?"

The threatening tears finally fell. Duo brushed them away with a gentle finger and watched in delight as a smile lit up Heero's face once more.

"I…I will. Yes."

"Oh Heero, oh I love you!" Duo wrapped his arms around Heero and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Heero said nothing, but Duo felt his hot tears fall on his shoulder.

"Heero…?" he questioned. "Heero, please don't cry any more."

"But I…I'm so happy!" Heero sobbed. Duo couldn't help but laugh slightly. 

**

"Oh! I forgot the ring!"

Duo stepped back a bit, one of his hands grasping Heero's as the other searched his coat pocket. He pulled out something very small and pressed it into Heero's palm.

"Uh, it's a bit cheap," he said, flushing. "I would have got something better, but I don't have that much money…"

Heero looked down at the silver ring in his hand. Looking at it closely, he could see it had been engraved both inside and out.

__

Duo loves Heero it said on the inside. And in tiny, delicate letters on the outside,

__

aishiteru

"That is right, isn't it?" Duo asked anxiously. "I didn't get it wrong, did I…'cause that would just suck."

Heero laughed through his tears at his lover's blunt way of speaking.

"No, it's right," he said. "It's perfect, I love it."

Duo said nothing, but the grin on his face expressed his happiness clearly. He took the ring from Heero and gently pushed it onto his finger. It fit perfectly. He wrapped himself around Heero and hugged him tightly.

"We'll go out and I'll get you a ring too," Heero said vaguely, hugging him back.

"Oh, cool, and we can celebrate our engagement…hey, Heero?"

Heero pulled back and looked at him.

"Yes?"

"WE'RE ENGAGED!!" he yelled joyously and proceeded to dance around the room. Heero laughed and watched him incredulously.

"Uh…"

"We're engaged! We're getting married!! Hey, so, let's go out Heero, we can celebrate…in a cheap place…"

Heero grinned and grabbed him around the waist as he danced past.

"Cheap? Not at all! I'm taking you to the best place in town!!"

"Cool!" Duo exclaimed "Where's that?"

"Somewhere cheap."

"Oh…" Duo kissed Heero on the nose and giggled. Then he became more serious. "It doesn't matter where we go, Heero, if I'm with you. Not just now, never, not ever. As long as I'm with you, I'll be happy."

Heero blinked at him.

"And as long as I'm with you, I will be."

He leaned forward and pressed their lips together gently.

"Oh, Heero, it's going to be so great," Duo whispered. 

"It will be perfect," Heero answered softly. "I promise."

Duo smiled, and they just held each other for a while. Life really didn't get better than this.

* * * * * * * * *

"So, are we going out or what?"

Heero pulled Duo closer to him and kissed him passionately. Duo's arms slid around his neck and he kissed him back with just as much passion.

Heero's lips left Duo's, and Shinigami voiced his displeasure loudly before sighing softly as tiny kisses were trailed across his face to his neck. Heero's hands quickly undid Duo's shirt and he stroked the smooth chest, toying with a nipple and enjoying hearing the long-haired boy's tiny moans and gasps in response.

"Mmm…couldn't we go…later…?" he suggested, tugging at the waistband of Duo's trousers.

"Ah well, I suppose…" Duo half-moaned, grinning as Heero lifted him easily and carried him to the bedroom. 


End file.
